Huzzah! Today my bike passed the State of Maryland Motorcycle Safety Inspection. The mechanic said that my little GS was "in the best shape of any bike as old as 1992 thats he's seen in a long time".
In case you are a Maryland resident and are wondering what they look for in a motorcycle inspection, I scanned the checklist he provided me and posted it here. Also, apparently my Third-Eye barends are illegal in Maryland, and the mirrors must mount inside the handgrips and be above the handlebar. >:( He passed me anyway because I told him I still had the stock ones, which is true, but the jury is still out on whether I'll put them back on. Maybe I'll put the OEM mirrors back on until I get some smaller ones that still mount to the stock locations (shrug).
Good info toward the bottom on the state requirements for brake pad thickness - maybe they got that from the service manual?
(http://gstwins.com/photogallery/albums/userpics/20504/GS500_MSI%7E0.JPG)
SO glad I don't have to worry about that stuff anymore as Colorado dropped that a few years ago.
Glad that you passed though. I have the exact same bike and like you, I can claim that it is rare in that condition.
Great! :thumb:
We'll see you around the beltway.
-Porkchop
wow that is pretty extreme for an inspection. In NJ all they check is blinkers, brake lights, headlight hi/lo and that when you let go of the throttle it returns back to idle.
wow! this is one long list.
Here in NY they check if your brake light and horn work. If they are in a good mood they would push on the bars to check front suspension...
that's it.
it may be convenient but CRAZY as hell.
lol I went in with no mirrors or blinkers and they weren't going to pass me.
I said I always look before I change lanes and use hand signals so I don't need them.
They passed me.
QuoteI said I always look before I change lanes and use hand signals so I don't need them.
They passed me.
Haha, thats awesome. Living in Maryland can be pretty tough, especially if you are into old cars and motorcycles. They are VERY strict here with their laws on titles and registration. I read about a guy in DC who actually got ARRESTED for having an expired registration. Hopefully it wasn't accurate. Gun laws are strict too, but at least its possible to own them.
The messed up part about Maryland is that after a vehicle passes this rigorous inspection it never has to be re-inspected as long as you keep your registration current. I see plenty of cars pass through the dealership I work for that should not be on the road. Makes me homesick for PA where at least you can assume the cars around you have the brakes and tires checked once a year.
And if a vehicle is 20 years old in Maryland you can slap "historic" tags on with no safety inspection! I have to admit guilt on that one though, my '89 GS's front rotor was below minimum spec when I slapped the historic tags on it :oops:
-Jessie
Is it 16 years for historic tags?
Here in Ohio we have no inspections. :woohoo: Im glad because neither my car nor my bike would pass. Both run awesome and every thing works but neither is emissions legal, no cats, egr, or stock pcm on my car. and no PAIR valve plus much more fuel on my bike. I have gotten pulled over for "NOISE POLLUTION" in my car though, so I put a pair of cherry bomb mufflers on my car (had straight pipes), its still very loud but technically legal. :cheers: plus now I can have conversations while driving when I put the seats in. (I autocross the car a lot and its a pain to remove the interior every time so I drive it gutted)
QuoteIs it 16 years for historic tags?
Nah, I'm pretty sure its 20, I looked into it but my GS didn't qualify for another coupla years.
Quote from: ver4 on October 01, 2009, 07:47:41 AM
Is it 16 years for historic tags?
No, it's 20. It used to be 25 but they changed that 3 years ago. Currently '89 and older vehicles qualify. That's one of the reasons I bought that '89 last December, a month later it was historic. Not so much for the fact there is no inspection but it is $50 for 2 years registration vs. $98 for regular motorcycle tags.
-Jessie
wow 89 and older is historical? That means my first 4 cars and first 2 bikes are history.
P.S. I am 23 years old. so am I historical? :laugh: :D :icon_lol:
Okay...it's been fun, but 30 day tag is running out soon. Any good places for inspection in MD in the NorthWest Baltimore county area? What would be a fair price range?
Quote from: redhawkdancing on May 13, 2010, 06:25:56 PM
Okay...it's been fun, but 30 day tag is running out soon. Any good places for inspection in MD in the NorthWest Baltimore county area? What would be a fair price range?
Like $30 to 50. Just take it to a garage that does MD inspections and you should be good to go.
In Delaware, they just checked lights, signals, and horn. And it's only $20 a year for registration. For newer vehicles, you can register it for like 5 years before you have to go back and re-register it. When I moved to California, it cost me more than twice as much to register my truck for 1 year as it did for 5 in Delaware!!!
When Jessie sold his Katana to a friend they knew that one out of three rotors was below specs (they measured it). The friend took it to Pete's Cycle for inspection (against advice) where they failed all three rotors. Moral of the story: consider taking it to a place that does not repair motorcycles- they may fail things just to be able to sell you parts...or maybe such place would be more likely to catch something that might be dangerous or get worse in the long run since they may have more experience? :dunno_black:
Odd that they're required to be on top, seeing as the new Harley Forty Eight has them mounted under the bars.
I gotta say.. WOW. That is all over the top. WAY over the top. Haha.. In Arizona the ONLY time you have to get inspected is if you are applying for a title on a vehicle from out of state. You have to have working lights/signals and a mirror. If you live in a major city (Tucson, Phoenix) and your car is more than ~5 years old you have to have a yearly emissions test ($12.) I think the people would revolt here if we had to have inspections like that all the time! Hell, you can get ATVs street legal here if they have signals and a mirror. That includes Side-by-sides, sand rails, dune buggies, golf carts, you name it. If it has wheels, an engine, lights, signals, and a mirror... you pretty much can get it street legal here.. Except 2 stroke engines unless they fall into the "Grandfather" category (e.g. Old Ninja 2 strokes, etc.)
Anyway.. motorcycles aren't required to do emissions here either.
The people's republic of Maryland is indeed a pain. Bought my bike new so I avoided that hassle. Our "wonderful" state recently introduced speeding cameras on top of the many red light cameras. At least motorcycles don't have to get emmissions tested every two year like cars and trucks.
That sounds really nice to never have to get a bike re-inspected, but I can see the problems that would come with it. PA isn't too bad. Pretty average. We do need inspections every year, but they're not that bad. Big dealerships are usually a bit pickier, smaller shops usually just check out all the lights, horns, and take it for a quick ride around the block/parking lot. I used to take the GS to one guy when Heather first got it, he wouldn't even make you take it out of the back of the truck. He just had you turn the lights on, looked at it, and put a sticker on it.
that mirror thing is annoying. Apperantly the state has some valid reason for requiring you to use mirrors that give you a perfect view of nothing but your elbows as opposed to on the ends of the bars where they actually work great.
And here I thought I needed a special manual to adjust my mirrors so I could actually see something behind me :o
Finally found a shop that would do it same day. Most places wanted to hold her overnight. The guy was done in 15 minutes, and I was on my way.